Danganronpa: Children of the Future
by Other Senpai
Summary: (SYOC: Closed) It's been a few month since The Final Killing Game, and the world is slowly starting to recover from The Tragedy. The Future Foundation is working on restoring the education system in Japan, and with that, created the new Hope's Peak Junior High to prepare the children of the future. However, as with all things related to the infamous school, things go wrong.
1. Prologue? (1)

**A/N** : **APPLICATIONS ARE OFFICIALLY CLOSED!**

* * *

"Are you ready for your first day of school, sweetie?" My mom hovered over my bed, her signature smile being the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. But there was a sadness in her eyes, and I could tell she wasn't ready for what had to happen today.

I sighed, but smiled back at her. "Yeah, I think I am."

After making my bed and getting ready for the day, I sat at my desk, going through the welcome pamphlet for the newly rebuilt Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak Academy...I dreamed of one day being able to attend. But for now, I had to finish my last year of middle school.

Ever since The Tragedy, school has been the last thing on most people's minds. But not me. My mother home-schooled me in the bunker the Future Foundation provided for us. And now, since the world is healing, I am able to attend Hope's Peak Junior High.

Applications started rolling out around the same time as The Final Killing Game, and I, of course, applied the minute I got it. It took months before they finally got back to us, since the construction on the new buildings hadn't even been started, but it was worth the wait, since I received a letter of acceptance.

And now, finally, it was the first day of school. Which meant it would be my first time seeing the outside world since before the Tragedy. It was nerve-wracking, but worth it, since I got to attend a school the genius Makoto Naegi helped build.

"It's time, sweetie!" My mom called. I snapped out of my day-dream and took a deep breath.

I can do this.

The moment I stepped outside, my eyes watered. The shone brightly in my face, and I had to take a moment to admire what surrounded me. The sky was blue, the grass green, and the air clean. Just like how it was before. I couldn't help but shed a tear of happiness.

My mother and I finally reached our destination. Even though the world is a much better place, natural resources are unfortunately limited, and cars are only given to those of high authority. So, we had to walk. But I didn't mind. I got to see even more of this beautiful, new world.

I said goodbye to my mom, and stood in front of the gate. A feeling of nausea washed over me, as I remember the first Killing Game. Junko Enoshima had removed all of Makoto's memories at Hope's Peak starting from the moment he walked through the gate.

I slowly stepped onto the school grounds, and breathed a sigh of relief. I was still conscious.

I made my way to the front office, where an intimidating woman sat behind a receptionists desk. She asked for my name and talent and- **DELETED**

 **DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED**

"What? That can't be right..."

 **DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED**

"N-no, this isn't supposed to happen!"

 **DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED DELETED**

"Somebody help-" My sentence was cut short as I felt a stinging pain in my stomach. I looked down, and saw a knife stabbed through my gut, pink blood dripping onto the white marble floor.

And then the world was black.

* * *

 **A/N:** Alright, let's go over some background information you need while you create your OCs. It's been a few month since The Final Killing Game, and the world is starting to become normal again. Makoto Naegi and the remaining members of the Future Foundation are working on restoring the education system in Japan, and with that, created the new Hope's Peak Elementary, Hope's Peak Junior High, and of course, Hope's Peak Academy. However, once they arrive, everything is not as it seems...

 **Rules:**

 **1**. The students in this story are attending Hope's Peak Junior High, and are thus around the ages 12-15. 12-13 for 7th graders, 13-14 for 8th graders, and 14-15 for 9th graders.

 **2**. You may pick any Ultimate Talent that is not in the first two Dangan Ronpa games.

 **3**. No characters without any flaws, like Mary Sues.

 **4**. I'm open to characters of all nationalities/races.

 **5**. I will only accept OCs sent to me by PM.

 **6**. I will be accepting 22 characters. It won't be first come, first serve, however. I'll be hand-picking the characters based on the quality of the application.

Also, I'd just like to remind everyone this is Rated M, so some scenes might be upsetting to some, especially since these characters are young.

Now, onto the form! (It's on my profile as well)

 **Name** :

 **Gender** :

 **Age** : (12-15)

 **Ultimate Talent** : (Please no canon repeats. Be creative!)

 **Sexuality** :

 **Appearance** :

 **Clothing** :

 **Personality** : (Please go in depth)

 **Biography/Past** : (Please go in depth. Make sure to include what they did during the tragedy)

 **Were They An Ultimate Despair?** : (And if so, include the story of why)

 **Secret(s)** :

 **Fear(s)** :

 **Killer or Victim?** : (And why)

 **Relationship?** :

 **If So, With What Type of Person?** :

 **Types of People They'd Get Along With** :

 **Types of People They'd Dislike** :

 **Mannerisms during Investigations** :

 **Mannerisms during Trials** :

 **Mannerisms during Body-Discovery** :

 **Mannerisms during Execution** :

 **Things Your Character Would Say** : (Just to give me an idea)

 **Other** : (Anything else I'm forgetting?)

* * *

 **Submitted Talents** (Don't worry if the OC your making's talent is on here, just keep in mind that someone else also has the talent, and only one of you is getting in)

Ultimate Electrician x1

Ultimate Gunslinger x1

Ultimate Tactician x1

Ultimate American Football Player x1

Ultimate Marine Biologist x1

Ultimate Toymaker x1

Ultimate Parkourist x1

Ultimate Music Thanatologist x1

Ultimate Cult Leader x1

Ultimate Jester x1

Ultimate Puppeteer x1

Ultimate Primary School Teacher x1

Ultimate Ki Manipulator x1

Ultimate Shrine Maiden x1

Ultimate Reader x1

Ultimate Arsonist x1

Ultimate Psychologist x1

Ultimate DJ x1

Ultimate Young Adult Novelist x1

Ultimate Horror Novelist x1

Ultimate Comedian x1

Ultimate Seamster x1

Ultimate Bodyguard x1

Ultimate Ice Skater x1

Ultimate Informant x1

Ultimate Cryptanalyst x1

* * *

 **Genders**

Male: 9

Female: 10

Non-binary: 0


	2. Prologue (2)

Um, hi? Sorry, I'm not really good things like this...This is my first-time y'know?

Oh God, not that kind of first time, sorry! I could've worded that better...

Anyway, my name is Setsuna Arai. Nice to meet you.

I'm your average, clumsy, high-school student, who happens to be really good at **this one thing**.

I looked at myself in the mirror, butterflies threatening to burst out of my stomach. Was I wearing the right clothes? Did I do my hair right?

My wavy, long silver hair was styled in a 'messy-cute' sort of way, with various strands sticking up. Hopefully, it looked more modelesque than bed head-esque. My golden eyes were filled with anxiety, and I had to force myself to try and calm down. My skin was paler than usual due to my nerves.

I wore a white button-up shirt with a dark purple-colored skinny tie, which was decorated with the symbol of the school I hoped to one day attend - Hope's Peak Academy. I debated whether or to tuck my shirt into my dark purple skirt, but decided against it. Maybe it'd make me seem cool? Lastly, I wore black tights and my plain, black penny loafers.

Sighing, I mustered up the courage to step out the door (I kinda tripped over my own feet before doing so, but that's besides the point).

* * *

Before I knew it, I was in front of Hope's Peak Junior High. I marveled at the sight, and took a mental note to tell my parents how good of a job Makoto Naegi did.

I made my inside the admissions office, where a lady confirmed my information. Geez, that was probably the most annoying part of attending a new school - the paperwork.

But I was happy to actually be attending school rather than hiding from the Ultimate Despair in the Future Foundation's basement...

At last, my paperwork was finished. Just as I was about to make my way further into the school, a group of masked figures appeared out of nowhere. I tried to scream, but someone immediately grabbed me from behind and put a rag in front of my mouth and nose.

Then the world was black.

* * *

The unmistakable scent of blood greeted me as I slowly came to. The air felt hot, and I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead.

I tried my best to stand up, but to no avail. It was like I hadn't used my legs for a millennium. And of course, I was laying on my stomach, so I couldn't observe my surroundings.

I helplessly flailed around, probably resembling a beached whale or a baby bird trying to fly.

When it seemed all hope was lost, a voice rang out. "Uh, do you need help, dude?"

Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting the voice, so I screamed.

"Woah!" The voice, clearly belonging to a male, exclaimed. "Chill out, girl!"

"S-sorry..." I apologized, calming down when I realized he wasn't a threat. "Can you please help me up?"

"Sure thang." The boy said. I heard him move towards me. "Alright, I'm going to flip you over on three. One, two, three."

He grabbed my shoulders and flipped me over. The first thing I saw was him.

Although the lighting in the room was dim, his neon green eyes stood out (which I'm 99% sure are contacts) and looked at me with intrigue. His messy black hair slightly obscured his right eye. Almost everything he was wearing was neon green. His sports jacket, shoes, and fingerless gloves were all colored the obnoxious shade. He also wears a black hat with neon green stripes, and white headphones around his pale neck.

It might've been my imagination, but as I looked at him, I could swear that the neon green on his clothes and in his contacts was glowing in the dark.

Speaking of dark, the room we were in was basically just that. I could tell that the floors and walls were made of wood, but other than that, any objects or doors weren't visible.

"Kay', now let's get you up." He wrapped his arms around my underarms and hoisted me up.

"Woah, be careful!" I squealed. My legs felt like jello and I still could barely move.

"Chill out, dawg, I got you." He reassured, smiling. He seemed way too chill for what was going on.

"Um, do you know where we are?" I asked as he continued to hold me.

"No idea, dude." He shrugged. "This room is almost completely empty and the only way out looks to be locked by some kinda code."

I nodded. "I see...Do you remember what you were doing before this?"

The boy looked up in thought. "Uhhhh...oh, that's right! I was in the admissions office of my new school, and all of a sudden, these guys come outta nowhere and...I guess knocked me out."

"Me too." I sighed. "I thought the Ultimate Despair were gone..."

The boy tensed, and I thought he was going to drop me for a split-second. "Y-you think this is the work of the Ultimate Despair?"

"I mean, it seems like it right?" I clarified. "Getting knocked out after coming to school and then waking up in a creepy place?"

The boy frowned. "It's possible..." But then he relaxed. "Anyway, it's a little awkward that I'm holding you and we don't even know each others name yet. My name is **Yoshiharu Nakamura** , but most will know me by **DJ YOSHI**. I'm the **Ultimate DJ**. How do you like me so far?"

* * *

 _Yoshiharu Nakamura ('DJ YOSHI') - Ultimate DJ_

* * *

I laughed. "You seem chill. DJ YOSHI, huh? Is it OK if I just call you Yoshiharu instead?"

'DJ YOSHI' looked at me in surprise, perhaps a little flustered. "Uhhhh, sure I guess, considering we started this 'thing' together. But you're the only one who can call me that!"

"Alright, Yoshiharu," I grinned. "How is it being the Ultimate DJ?"

Yoshiharu smiled and he closed his eyes. "DJing...it's a way of life, dude...The ability to manipulate people's emotions to feel how you feel is a power no one can truly control."

"Wow, that's pretty deep for a DJ." I bluntly stated. But Yoshiharu didn't seem to care as he opened his eyes and continued to smile.

"When I get the chance, I'll show you." He offered. "My beats are so sick not even Hippocrates can cure them!"

Oh god. Yoshiharu is definitely a sweet guy, but I could tell his vocabulary probably consists of words like dawg, bruh, and radical...

"My name's Setsuna Arai, nice to meet you! And I know it sounds a little strange, but I'm the **Ultimate Test Subject**." I introduced myself.

"Test subject? That sounds pretty cool." Yoshiharu admitted. "But whatsit mean?"

"Basically, you know when doctors want to try out new things, like a medicine to make you never throw up or a cure for allergies? I'm the girl they come to." I explained. "I've probably participated in around 1,000 experiments, ranging from silly things like a drink to make you sing better to more serious things, like a pill to forever stop panic attacks."

"You'd think my body would be all deformed and stuff," I continued. "But for some reason, I never suffer long-term effects from the tests. I guess that's what makes me the Ultimate Test Subject. Also, I don't know what it is, but every test I take, whether it be written, physical, or whatever, I always ace it. I'm not that smart, and I'm not that athletic, but it just happens."

"Dude...you're really awesome!" Yoshiharu praised.

"As if," I blushed, quickly shaking my head. "Hang on..." The longer we spoke, the more strength I felt return to my legs. And now, I think I can stand up on my own...

I slowly leaned off of Yoshiharu, and immediately stumbled. Then tripped. Yoshiharu quickly tried to help me up, but I waved him off. I steadily began to lift myself off the floor, and eventually stood completely up.

Even though my head kinda hurt from tripping and I felt a bruise forming, I was proud of myself for standing up on my own.

"Woohoo! My arms were starting to get tired..." Yoshiharu dramatically threw his arms down and sighed.

"Puh-lease," I playfully rolled my eyes. "Alright, now that I'm up and moving, let's try to get out of here."

"I told ya, the only way out is locked by a code." Yoshiharu pointed to a wooden, beat-up door with a keypad next to it.

I walked over, and it looked like I needed to enter 5 digit number.

"Any ideas?" Yoshiharu asked.

"Maybe..." I glanced down in thought. Then, I slowly put in a familiar 5 digit number.

The door creaked open.

"Hey, it worked!" Yoshiharu yelled in surprise.

"11037...the Ultimate Despair are so predictable." I sighed.

Yoshiharu silently nodded.

"Alright, let's see what's out there." I said, trying not to sound nervous. Slowly, the of us made our way out of the door and into the hallway.

And we were met with an unexpected sight.

We were definitely in a school, that was evident by the long hallway and classroom labels, but the school we were in looked to be abandoned. The wood throughout the hallway was rotting, and several pieces of trash lined the floor. The windows were boarded up, and the only source of light was candles scattered on the window sills. Also, there looked to be splashed of dried blood or something all over the floor. I hoped it was just fruit punch.

"Gross!" I squealed, noticing a roach crawling on the floor.

"This place screams haunted..." Yoshiharu gulped, moving a little too close to me.

"I'm not sure about haunted, but it's definitely an old, creepy building..." I frowned. "I wonder where we are..."

"Maybe the old Hope's Peak Building?" Yoshiharu suggested.

"No way." I shook my head. "The old building didn't look anything like this, and the other buildings in Hope's Peak were destroyed during the Tragedy."

Yoshiharu sighed, but then his eyes brightened. "Yo, look at that thing on the wall!"

I looked at the wall, and noticed a piece of paper. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a list.

 _ **Potentials**_

 _Aya - Horror Novelist_

 _Ayano - PS Teacher_

 _Azato - Comedian_

 _Chiharu - YA Novelist_

 _Hikari - Tactician_

 _Hiru - Arsonist_

 _Jao - Puppeteer_

 _Kazuko - Gunslinger_

 _Kazuo - Seamster_

 _Magane - Music Thanatologist_

 _Matsuda - Informant_

 _Matthew - Electrician_

 _Michie - Psychologist_

 _Nicholas - Jester_

 _Noriko - Ice Skater_

 _Shion - Parkourist_

 _Shinya - Cryptanalyst_

 _Tomoe - Bodyguard_

 _Tomomi - Shrine Maiden_

 _Toshiyuki - Toymaker_

 _Usui - Marine Biologist_

 _Yoshiharu - DJ_

A large black smudge separated Yoshiharu and my name.

 _Setsuna - Ultimate Test Subject_

"I guess this is the names of everyone in here, but potentials?" I frowned. "This doesn't sound very good..."

Yoshiharu seemed to feel the same saw, as he nervously paced around.

"Well, we should probably look for everyone, yeah?" I asked, trying to lift Yoshiharu's spirits up. "I'm sure being with more people will be better than just us two."

Yoshi nodded. "Yeah, you're right...We should probably check these doors first."

I nodded in agreement, and the two of us started to open doors. Or at least _tried_ to open doors. All of them seemed to be locked.

"What the heck?" I was starting to get frustrated. 11 doors and none of them are unlocked?

"Yo, Setsuna, there's another door over here." Yoshiharu called from the other end of the hallway. I rushed over, and sure enough, there was a double door with windows. But upon pushing it, nothing happened...

"OK, really?!" I sighed in frustration. "Not only do we not know where we are, but we're trapped in a hall-"

My words stopped dead in their tracks as one of the 11 doors opened. And two people stepped out. These must be two of the people on the list!

"HEY!" I called as I jogged over to them. They - a girl and a boy - both looked at me with a blank expression.

"Um, hi, I'm Setsuna, and this-" I pointed to Yoshiharu who was still on his way towards us. "Is Yoshiharu - er, DJ YOSHI, I mean."

"Uh, hi...I'm **Aya Hoshi** , the **Ultimate Horror Novelist**." The girl awkwardly introduced herself, avoiding eye contact with me.

* * *

 _Aya Hoshi - Ultimate Horror Novelist_

* * *

Because of her slightly taller than average height and mature face, she looked to be the type of person who looked older than they really are. Her dirty blonde hair is tied into two braids, reaching her waist. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of blue, and her light skin contrasted her dark clothing.

She wears a pastel purple sweater with a weird black X in the middle, under a black leather jacket. Additionally, she wears black leggings with black ankle boots, and a black choker.

"My friends love your books!" I informed Aya.

"They seem like interesting people." Aya responded, in a quiet voice that I could barely hear.

"Yeah, they're into _those kind_ of books." I was, of course, reffering to the twisted, sickening stories Aya is popular for writing. I read one of her books, and couldn't sleep for about a week.

For a teenager, Aya has done a lot. Her first book, which she published when she was 10 immediately reached the top of the best sellers lists. The story was so popular, the prime minister _apparently_ almost made a law forbidding people telling spoilers about the book.

"And you are?" I turned to the boy who remained silent. He glanced up from the ground and looked at me.

" **Akatsuki, Shinya**. **Ultimate Cryptanalyst**." His voice had a serious tone to it and his expression was blanker than Aya's. Geez, people, I know we're being held in a building against our will, but would it kill you to smile?

* * *

 _Shinya Akatsuki - Ultimate Cryptanalyst_

* * *

His appearance is probably the most lively thing about him. His messy bright red hair is framed by blue-tinted ski goggles, and his amber gold eyes held no emotion. I also noted that I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.

His skin, like everyone I've met so far, looked sickeningly pale. His outfit is as plain as his personality (so far). He wore a thin white jacket, over a white shirt, and khaki's that only reached half-way down his calves. His red hightops and golden chain necklace with a tag stood out the most.

Cryptanalysts...they break codes, right? I can't say I've really heard of Shinya or his talent, but he must be extremely intelligent if he holds the title of the _Ultimate_ Cryptanalyst.

I could tell Shinya wasn't really the talkative type so I changed the subject. "Ah, I see! All these rooms must have a pair of people inside them..."

"No, really?" I could hear Aya mutter. Was that sarcasm in her voice?

Before I could say anything, another door opened. Just as I suspected, two people walked out.

"Hey, Shion, what shoes do pedophiles wear?" The boy asked as soon as he left the room. He didn't wait for an answer. "White vans!"

Then he cringed. "Ooo, that was a little cruel, sorry!"

The girl rolled her eyes, walking up to us. "Do you know where we are?"

"No, sorry..." I shook my head. "No idea."

The girl sighed but nodded. "Yeah, I figured...Anyways, hey. The name's **Shion Akamine** , **Ultimate Parkourist**."

* * *

 _Shion Akamine - Ultimate Parkourist_

* * *

The first thing I noticed about Shion was her slender body, perfect for parkour. Her hair is straight and brown, and reaches her mid-back. Her large eyes are hazel, and her skin is tan, most likely due to her athletic talent. I couldn't help but notice that she was a little shorter compared to me, Shinya, Aya, and Yoshiharu.

She wears a white crop top over a black tank top, with the image of a girl's silhouette running. She also wears a white-rimmed black skirt and black heeled boots that reach over her knee.

I couldn't imagine how flexible, agile, and graceful Shion must be. Parkour requires all of those things and more. I've never tried it, I could only imagine how hard she must've worked to become the Ultimate Parkourist. I shivered, thinking about how her skills must've been an aid to her during the Tragedy.

"I'm Setsuna, this is Aya, this is Shinya, and this is DJ Yoshi." I pointed to Aya and Shinya, as well as Yoshiharu who finally joined us.

"Sup." He waved. Aya and Shinya either didn't hear me or didn't care.

"So what, is this another killing game?" Shion frowned.

"Heyyy, don't say that, Shion!" The boy suddenly appeared next to me, frowning. "You'll jinx us!"

"And who might you be?" I smiled, looking at the lively young boy.

He smiled back at me. "I am **Azato** **Hitotose**! The **ULTIMATE COMEDIAN**...But pllleeeasssseee, call me **Zato**!"

* * *

 _Azato Hitotose - Ultimate Comedian_

* * *

Zato, like Shion, is on the shorter side. His shaggy, mossy green hair has a cowlick, and he also has a variety of yellow, cross-shaped hair clips in his hair. His eyes are blue and almond shaped, looking full of energy and happiness.

His outfit is a little more put-together than I would've thought for someone like him, with him wearing a dark green overcoat over a white dress shirt and a golden tie. He also wears a light green scarf with a yellow stripe and light blue jeans with dark brown shoes.

All of these people's personalities so far have fit their talents, and Zato is no exception. His infectious smile fit his comedian talent to a 't', and while the joke he made earlier may have been a tad insensitive, it was pretty funny.

"Azato, just because you don't want there to be a killing game, doesn't mean the universe will listen to you." Shion crossed her arms.

"B-but I really don't want there to be another killing game..." Zato whimpered. "It'd not be very punny at all." I snickered at the casual pun.

"You think this is another killing game?" I asked Shion, who shrugged.

"It seems like it..."

"What'd you guys think?" I turned to Aya and Shinya, trying to get them engaged in the conversation.

"Everything that's happened so far seems to make up the components of a killing game..." Aya replied, glancing at the ground.

"It's obviously another killing game." Shinya stated bluntly.

"What makes you so sure?" I frowned.

He did nothing but look at something behind me. Turning around, I saw it. I must've not been paying attention very well, because as I looked around, it was on all of the 11 doors.

Monokuma's iconic red eye.

* * *

 **A/N** : Of course, this is only a taste of what's to come! Please let me know if I'm potraying your character correctly.


	3. Prologue (3)

I stared at the eye, all sorts of thoughts running through my head. Negative thoughts, like, ' _Are we really in a killing game?_ ' and ' _Did the Ultimate Despair have a hand in orchestrating this?_ '

But I also tried to remain optimistic. The Tragedy is long gone, and people like the Future Foundation _must_ be looking for us by now. _**The entire country**_ must be looking for us by now! Hope's Peaks return was a wildly televised (and a _little_ controversial) event, so I'm sure once people hear that a group of students were kidnapped, they'll be searching high and low for us.

"If the pieces of shit who kidnapped us think we're going to kill each other, they got another thing coming." Shion scoffed.

"Yeah, we won't let them get what they want..." Yoshiharu nodded, a serious look in his eyes.

" _ **Are you sure about that**_?" A voice ominously inquired. I looked over to see Aya, no longer glancing at the ground and instead looking straight at us. "Don't you think the students in the first killing game thought the same thing? In the second? Or how about the third, which involved members of the Future Foundation, who's very goal was to combat things like despair? The point is, everyone thought that they'd all work together and survive until the end, but we all know what happened..."

"Geez, no need to be so negative," Zato huffed. "Those killing games were different! The first two involved memory wipes and the third involved brainwashing!"

"All I'm saying is that we better be prepared for something bad to happen," Aya shrugged. "After all, this is a killing game we're talking about..."

I shuddered at the sudden change in Aya's personality. But she was right. People who kidnapped 23 junior high students would definitely be twisted enough to do something crazy.

Thankfully the tension in the air resided as another two doors opened consecutively. This time, two girls stepped out of one. One looked confused and a little scared while the other bore a stone-faced expression. Two boys stepped out of another one. One looked angry and the other had red hair

They noticed us and walked towards us (a few more reluctant than the others.).

"Um, hello? Do you know where we are?" The confused girl asked. The stone-faced girl stood noticeably behind her, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

"Sorry, I don't know where we are," I bit my lip. "But, by the looks of things, we may have been kidnapped to participate in a killing game..."

"Killing game?!" The red haired boy gasped. "Why would you think that?!"

"W-well, we don't know for sure, but there's a lot of evidence that supports it..." I explained, gesturing to the red eye on the doors and the list on the wall.

"Fucking hell, you got to be kidding me..." The angry-looking boy loudly sighed and facepalmed.

"Hey, what are your guys' names? I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject." I tried to change the subject, giving the best smile that I could manage. Everyone else introduced themselves as well (with me having to remind Shinya to do so...).

"I'm **Tomomi Hijiribashi**." The confused girl smiled. "I am the **Ultimate Shrine Maiden**. Please, call me **Tomo**."

* * *

 _Tomomi Hijiribashi - Ultimate Shrine Maiden_

* * *

The Ultimate Shrine Maiden, as expected, is beautiful and well-dressed. Her long raven hair falls down to her mid-back, with blunt bangs just above her droopy, yellow eyes. Her skin is fair, and she's a little shorter than the average height of a female junior high student.

She wears a traditional shrine maiden's uniform, a classic Japanese shrine maiden uniform that consists of a plain white kimono covered by a white haori with a black crane pattern, also a red hakama, red obi, and a pair of red wooden geta. She also looks to be carrying a gohei.

Tomo is pracitcally a celebrity. Because of her young age and strong work ethic, her small rural village blew up into a Japanese land mark. People from all over the country came to visit and worship the village's resident God, Inari. I wonder what happened to her and her village during the Tragedy...

"Alright, let's get this over with." The angry-looking boy wasted no time in jumping into my conversation with Tomo. "The name's **Haru Ayano** , the **Ultimate Primary School Teacher**. Got a problem with me? So fucking be it."

* * *

 _Haru Ayano - Ultimate PS Teacher_

* * *

Haru has messy black hair, with a very slight brown tint. Is it just me or does every boy here (so far) not know how to style their hair? He has bright red eyes and is fairly tall, with an average figure. He wears a green jumper, blue jeans, and dull green shoes.

It may have been my imagination, but I couldn't help but notice very faded scars on his chin, forehead, and hands. He also appears to have a black eye, but it looks like it is already healing.

I'm supposed to believe that this vulgar boy works with children? Either he's lying about his talent, or his personality is completely different when it comes to children. I can tell with his personality, he is going to cause quite a few arguments and possibly even physical fights, which based on his wounds, he is no stranger to.

"Hi there!" The red haired boy spoke up, smiling brightly. "My name is **Jao Pargu** , the **Ultimate Puppeteer**. It is very nice to meet you!"

* * *

 _Jao Pargu - Ultimate Puppeteer_

* * *

His facial expression is almost a little _too_ happy.

Jao's medium-length hair is a dark red color, and is left unkempt. He is around an average height, but he looks rather frail.

He wears a white shirt with the words 'In Control' written diagnolly across it (reffering to his talent, I presume). He also wears a black, hooded, overcoat, jeans, and black sneakers.

 _Seriously_ , his smile is creeping me out a little...I can't say I've really heard of Jao, but he certainly looks like the Ultimate Puppeteer. I vaugely remember going to see a puppet show a few years ago, and I'm 90% sure Jao was the puppeteer. I remember him being extremely talented, and I had kind of a 'crush' on him (give me a break, I was 9!). Just something about his personality is so endearing...

I think a few minutes went by before Tomo nudged the only student who hadn't introduced themselves yet. "Um, Hikari? Are you going to introduce yourself?"

The girl presumed to be 'Hikari' shook her head.

"Oh, alright then..." Tomo sighed. "This is **Hikari Ieyasu**. She is the **Ultimate Tactician**. She solved the room's code even while half-unconcious!"

* * *

 _Hikari Ieyasu - Ultimate Tactician_

* * *

Hikari's hair is long, wavy, and light brown. Her eyes are a interesting shade of gray, and looked even more devoid of emotion than Shinya's. Hikari is lightly tanned and boasts a modest figure and an average height.

She wears a black tank-top, with a black armband around her upper arm, black jeans, and dark brown combat boots. She also wears a dark green jacket around her waist.

I tried to keep my mouth from hanging open. _The_ Hikari Ieyasu?! She is related to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan! It seems like Hikari followed in her ancestor's footsteps.

"Can Hikari speak?" Haru frowned.

"H-Haru!" Jao gasped. "You can't just ask something something like that!"

"Yes, she can." Tomo revealed, unphased by the question.

"Then why isn't she?" Haru questioned.

"Because I don't want to." Hikari answered, crossing her arms.

"Uh, are you fucking serious?" Haru scoffed. "I don't wanna be here either, but the least you can do is speak when spoken to!"

"Yes, I'm sure the advice of a primary school teacher will change my mind." Hikari said, still retaining an expressionless face.

"The fuck you just-" I had to quickly pull Haru back as his face grew red and he lunged at Hikari.

"Oookkk, everyone, let's calm down!" I advised, desperately trying to hold Haru still.

"Let go of me!" He demanded, thrashing around in my arms. But I held on as tight as I could. I wanted to glare at Hikari as she did nothing but stare at us with her arms crossed.

"Damn, we've only known each other for five minutes and fights are already breaking out..." Shion commented, slightly amused.

"Oh God, this reminds me of that one joke about the man and the parking meter!" Zato looked a little panicked as he hid behind Shinya, who didn't seem to mind. Or maybe it was that he didn't care.

"Yo, why don't we all, like, chill out?" Yoshiharu sighed.

"Oh, Inari-sama, please help us..." Tomo pleaded, looking rather distressted.

"Enough!" An unknown voice bellowed. The commotion stopped.

We all turned to see two newcomers in the middle of the hallway. The person who said it appeared to be a girl wearing a cowboy hat. A short boy stood behind her, awkwardly looking at us.

At this point, Haru had stopped thrashing, so I slowly let him go. It looks like he was too startled by the sudden voice to do anything to Hikari.

"Um, who're you?" I asked, walking up to her. "I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject."

"I'm **Kazuko Remington**. Some of you may now me as " **Blackjack** " or the " **Despair Hunter**." Kazuko replied. "I'm the **Ultimate Gunslinger**."

* * *

 _Kazuko Remington - Ultimate Gunslinger_

* * *

Kazuko has black hair tied up into a pony tail and brown eyes. Her pockmarked skin is tan, and she has a scar extending from her left cheek to her chin. She wears a white shirt underneath her brown leather vest, which dons a silver star badge. She also wears brown denim pants, brown cowboot boots with brass spurs, and as mentioned before, a tan cowboy hat.

The Despair Hunter...I heard stories about her during my time at the Future Foundation. She went around, single-handedly fighting the Ultimate Despair. Even after she was injured badly and was sent to one of our hospitals, she healed up and returned to the outside world almost immediately. Apparently, the Tradegy struck while she was performing at one of her shows, hence the cowboy costume she now wears today...There are other details, but I'd rather not think about them right now...

"The Despair Hunter?" Tomo's eyes widened. "I-I didn't know you were still alive!"

"Y-yeah, I thought the Ultimate Despair from Class 77 killed you..." Yoshiharu scratched his head in confusion.

"Hm?" Kazuko frowned. "That is obviously untrue. Those are just rumors."

"I-I see." I nodded, a little intimidated. I turned my attention to the boy beside her.

"Er, I'm **Matthew Portman** , but almost everyone calls me **Mac**. I'm the **Ultimate Electrician**." The boy offered me a small smile.

* * *

 _Matthew Portman - Ultimate Electrician_

* * *

Mac is rather lean and short, with blonde hair and brown eyes. He's also rather pale. He wears an interesting burlap shirt, brown slacks, and work boots. Additionally, he wears black rubber gloves and a floppy cap lazily placed on his head.

An electrician?! The amount of things Mac must know! Although I obviously wasn't a fan of the fact we were trapped in here, having someone with knowledge about how to fix things (cough, cough, these lights) is extremely helpful.

"Hey, is something wrong with your arm?" I asked, noticing something between Mac's sleeve and his glove, which was pulled down a little.

"Hm?" Mac raised a brow. "Nope, everything is fine."

I nodded, a little concerned, but it was probably nothing. "Um, anyways, that makes 12 of us, right? Only 11 more to go..."

"There's 23 of us?" Shion asked. "Shit, that's a lot of other people to deal with..."

"23...what an odd number." I heard Yoshiharu mumbled.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"He means 23 is an odd number. It is both odd that it's odd, since the previous killing games had **even numbers**." Hikari suddenly spoke up. Suprised, I looked over to see her leaning against the wall, looking at the list.

"And none of those 23 are the **Ultimate Lucky Student**!" Zato chimed in.

"Huh...you're right," I realized. "Every killing game has had an Ultimate Lucky Student-"

"Except this one." Aya finished. "It's obviously due to the fact that no lottery was held this year, given that the Tradegy just finished. And besides, we attend Hope's Peak Junior High, not Hope's Peak Academy."

"But still...it _is_ weird." Tomo said.

"Yeah, it's like something is missing. Like, something feels off..." Mac added.

"Um, Shinya, what do you think?" I asked the cryptanalyst. Even though I knew he didn't want to be apart of the conversation, I still felt bad after realizing that he hadn't talked since the revealation about the red eye on the door.

"What do I think?" Shinya repeated. "What I think is that the mastermind is trying to confuse us."

"Confuse us?" I frowned.

Shinya shrugged. "We're thinking of what happened during other killing games, and expecting it to happen during this one too. That's our problem."

"Jesus, we're just thinking of theories..." Haru scoffed.

"Yeah, it's not going to kill us to think about what this killing game will entail." Jao nodded.

Shinya shrugged once more, going back to looking at the ground.

The 'room' fell silent, until the familar sound of a door opening drew my attention. This time, _three people_ came out of the room. I realized that this was because of the odd number of us. Among the three, there was two boys and a girl.

The first boy looks like he'll collapse if you poke him. His skin is pale white and he is among the short classmates. He has black hair, mostly covered by a red beanie, and emerald green eyes. He strangely wears a red scarf, despite the warm weather outside. He wears a dark gray long-sleeve shirt over a red shirt, with sleeves so long they cover his hands. He also wears black sweatpants, white sneakers, and a satchel.

The girl is only a little taller than the first boy. Her sleek, medium length hair is dark brown, and she has bangs that red just above her red-muddy brown eyes. Both her shirt and shorts are navy blue, and appear to be made of a material you can swim in- like nylon or spandex. Her shoes are also navy blue, and she wears a white, oversized lab coat.

The second boy is also short, just like the other two. He is slender and pale, and has shoulder-length, messy black hair, with dark blue eyes. I'm a little jealous because of how long his eyelashes are...He wears a traditional yukata, colored black, with a grey floral print. The obi sash is white and secured by tied in the back.

They noticed us and came over.

"Don't tell me this is another killing game..." The second boy sadly frowned.

I gave a sympathetic look. "It seems like it. I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject."

The second boy smiled at me. "Whatever this is, we'll get through it! I'm **Kazuo Kinuya** , and I've applied to Hope's Peak Junior High under the title of the **Ultimate Seamster**."

* * *

 _Kazuo Kinuya - Ultimate Seamster_

* * *

"Oh, wow, I've actually ordered something from your textile shop once!" I admitted. "The line was really long, but it was worth it in the end."

"Heheh, sorry about that." Kazuo chuckled. "Our shop was pretty popular, huh?"

I nodded. "Hahah, popular is an understatement." I looked over at Kazuko, realizing something. "Hey, would it be OK if we called you Kinuya instead? It's just that Kazuko and yours' names are really similar."

"Of course!" He nodded. "That's completely fine."

"Alright, cool, Kinuya!" I giggled. He smiled at me before going off to introduce himself to everyone else.

I approached the girl, noticing she wasn't making an effort to introduce herself. "Hi! I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject."

The girl offered a very small smile, that looked forced. "...My name is **Izumi** **Usui**. The **Ultimate Marine Biologist**." Her voice sounded calm and soothing, like the ocean after a storm...I don't know why I just made that awful analogy.

* * *

 _Izumi Usui - Ultimate Marine Biologist_

* * *

"Izumi Usui?!" I gasped. "Didn't you discover a new species?"

"Yes." She sighed, maybe a little annoyed about hearing that question over and over again. "...But it's no big deal...it's more common than you think."

"But still, that's amazing!" I praised. "You knew that you had discovered a new species when you were just a child!"

Izumi shrugged. "...I'm very dedicated to marine biology. This is why I applied to HPJH...but now..." She trailed off.

I sighed. "Yeah, it sucks, huh? But I'm sure that we'll get out of here soon."

"Perhaps." Izumi said.

"Well, you should probably introduce yourself to everyone. There's quite a few of us, and there's still more people to come." I advised. Nodding, Izumi left without a word.

She seems nice, albeit a bit peculiar. I'm sure as long as I don't annoy her too much, we'll get along.

I looked over to see the first boy, standing alone, still near the doorway of the room he came out of. He looked nervous, as he twiddled his thumbs and glanced around him. I approached with caution.

"...Hi." I gently said. His eyes shot up.

"U-Um, h-hi..." He gulped.

"My name is Setsuna, the Ultimate Test Subject." I softly spoke. "What's your name?"

He tugged at his scarf, perhaps a nervous habit, but cleared his throat. "I-I'm **Toshiyuki** T- **Tadao**...U-um, I'm the **Ultimate Toymaker**. You c-can call me Toshi, s-since my name is so l-long, if you w-want."

* * *

 _Toshiyuki Tadao - Ultimate Toymaker_

* * *

The Ultimate Toymaker? So cute! I haven't heard of him, but I bet he makes the cutest things. Maybe he and Haru will get along, since both of their talents involve children? I sure hope so, since both of them seem like outsider types.

"It's nice to meet you." I smiled, trying my best not to scare him.

He looked like he was trying to smile at me, but because of his nervousness, it looked more like he was about to cry. "It's n-n-nice to meet you, t-too! "

Just as I was about to say more, someone's voice spoke up. "The smudge!"

I looked over to see Yoshiharu looking at the list on the wall. "The smudge." He repeated.

"What is it?" Aya questioned.

"Yeah, seriously, you're starting to scare me." Tomo nervously laughed.

"There _ **is**_ an Ultimate Lucky Student in this killing game," Yoshiharu claimed.

"What the fuck?" Haru frowned. "Where the hell on that list does it say Ultimate Lucky Student?"

"Yeah, do you need glasses, Yoshi?" Shion joked.

"It's because we can't see it," Yoshiharu sighed. "Because _it's_ this **black smudge**."

* * *

 **A/N** : Yay, got a new chapter up! :) Please let me know what you think of the chapter and story so far, and if I'm portraying your character correctly. If not, I'll be sure to fix how I write them ASAP.


	4. Prologue (4)

A few seconds of silence followed Yoshiharu's claim. Is there really a secret 24th student? And if so, are they the mastermind of the killing game? I was currently freaking out about the possibilities, but others were having trouble processing what Yoshiharu said.

"Huhhhhh?" Zato's face told it all-he had no idea what the Ultimate DJ was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Yoshi?" Tomo frowned. "Are you feeling well? Do you want me to pray for you?"

"Ugh, no..." Yoshiharu sighed. "What I'm tryna say is, like, this black smudge is, maybe, covering the name of the **Ultimate Lucky Student** dude...maybe."

"Dude?" Shion raised a brow. "What if it's a girl?"

"Or chick," Yoshiharu rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Based on how small the smudge is, your little idea is doubtful." Aya crossed her arms. I looked at the smudge, and sure enough, it took less space up than our names and talents do.

"Well, whatever the smudge is, it seems to be important." Kinuya deduced.

I nodded in agreement. "The person clearly went out of their way to cover it up."

"Setsuna..." I turned my head and saw Hikari looking at straight at me.

"Y-yes?" I hated to admit it, but her gaze made me feel uncomfortable and intimidated.

"Setsuna. Your name is the only one after the black smudge." Hikari pointed out. She was right.

"So?" I frowned. I don't know why it mattered.

Hikari shrugged, and resumed staring at the floor. I couldn't help but feel like me and her were going to have a hard time getting along...

"Uhhh, it's probably nothing." Matthew suggested. "Maybe the mastermind is trying to make Setsuna look bad?"

"Yeah!" Jao agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "I trust Setsuna."

"Thanks, guys." I smiled. But I couldn't help but wonder why the mastermind would want to make me look bad? Could it be that they have it out for me? And if so, what the hell did I do?!

All conversation came to a halt as another door opened. As expected, two people walked out-another boy and girl pair.

The girl immediately ran over to us. "Hihihi! I'm **TomoeIharatheUltimateBodyguard** it'sreallyreallynicetomeetyousorryifimtalkingtoofastimjustreallyexcitedtomeetyou!"

* * *

 _Tomoe Ihara - Ultimate Bodyguard_

* * *

Well. That happened.

Tomoe is noticeably taller than the rest of us. Despite how energetic she seems, her body is unnaturally thin, likely a result of struggling in the Tragedy. She has bright orange hair, reaching down to her neck, and a fringe that reaches her green eyes. She wears a simple outfit - a blue tanktop, a bright red jacket, tattered jeans, and blue and white sneakers.

To be honest, I don't know a lot about Tomoe, which is strange. I've heard of a majority of these people due to looking at files of people the Future Foundation has saved, but I can't recognize Tomoe's name for the life of me...It's possible she **never took shelter** in a Future Foundation safe house.

"Wow, slow down there." I chuckled. "I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject."

"Nice to meet you, Setsuna!" Tomoe smiled, reaching out her hand. I slowly took it, and she violently shook my hand.

"If you need anything, anything at all, I'm your girl!" She offered, letting go of my hand (thankfully). "It'd be an honor!"

Then, her expression turned serious, which spooked me a bit. "Seriously. I'll do anything to protect my clients." Then, without further warning, she bounced away, stopping in front of Shinya, who didn't even look up after she started talking.

Oh boy, she seems like a handful.

The boy, clearly reluctant, came up to talk to me. He sighed, not even trying to act like he was happy to meet me. "Ugh...My name is **Chiharu Enomoto**...the **Ultimate Young Adult Novelist**..."

* * *

 _Chiharu Enomoto - Ultimate YA Novelist_

* * *

Chiharu continues the pattern of having messy hair. However, I will say, his curly, dark brown hair looks more styled than most of the other people here. His eyes are a sparkly ocean blue, and are framed by a pair of glasses. I noticed a star shaped birthmark on the left side of his neck, and a mole on his right hand on his tanned skin. He wears a dark blue buttoned shirt, a black and grey sweater vest, and dark grey dress pants with dark brown loafers. I squinted, and saw that the bracelet on his arm has a nameplate attached, with his initials. He also wears a ring with a sapphire gem.

I almost squealed when I saw Chiharu come out of the door! I mean, he's _the_ Chiharu Enomoto, the author of my all-time favorite book! I won't get into the details, but I'll just say that it's every girl's dream to have what happened in the book happen to them! Chiharu's books are so popular, that even males can't help but read them.

Chiharu seemed to notice the look in my eyes and nodded. "You're a fan of my work? You could help me with my next book, if you want. But by the looks of things, and with my luck, we're probably not getting out of here alive."

I frowned at the negativity but smiled at the offer. "That'd be so cool, and a tremendous honor, Chiharu."

He nodded once again, and reluctantly started to introduce himself to everyone else.

While everyone was distracted by the introductions of Tomoe and Chiharu, I noticed another door open. Once again, a boy and a girl stepped out. The girl had a face of annoyance, and the boy a face of frustration as he violently jotted things down in a notebook. I could only imagine what happened in the room...

The girl approached me first, walking with a sense of gracefulness, but she also moved very cautiously, like she was afraid she'd fall over.

"Hello. I am **Noriko Matsumoto** , known as the Ultimate Ice Skater. I hope we get along." The girl's words were kind, but her facial expression remained cold.

* * *

 _Noriko Matsumoto - Ultimate Ice Skater_

* * *

Noriko, in short, looks like a beautiful ice princess. Her white, shoulder-length hair is held up by her signature sky blue headband. Her skin is a beautiful cinnamon color, and on her face she has white blotches due to vitiligo. In my opinion, it makes the ice skater even more beautiful. She is rather tall and skinny, giving her a lanky appearance. She has dark blue eyes. Noriko wears a knee-length sapphire blue dress, white tights, and white high tops.

Noriko's story is a little depressing. From what I know, her family members are very talented dancers, but whatever reason, she could never find her groove. Then, she discovered she was an extremely talented ice skater, and began to make something of herself. But unfortunately, the Tragedy struck soon after. Hopefully, she can now show the world what she's made of.

Noriko stumbled a bit after strutting away, not even saying bye. I tried not to take it personally, but I couldn't help but feel like I could've made a better impression. I'll redeem myself next time...

Wait, what am I saying? Noriko isn't some princess I need to impress or anything...geez, her ice princess image is starting to affect me.

The boy came over, holding a finger up as if to silence me. "Wait, don't tell me your name!"

He looked down at his notebook, turning pages and constantly glancing upwards at me. "White hair, girl..." I could hear him mumble.

"Ah!" He suddenly exclaimed, grinning. "Noriko Matsumoto, the Ultimate Figure Skater!"

"Um, not exactly..." I nervously laughed. "I'm Setsuna Arai, the Ultimate Test Subject..."

"Oh damn it, you're right..." He sighed, his smile instantly dropping. I saw him write in his notebook: Noriko = short hair, blue eyes and Setsuna = long hair, golden eyes.

"Sorry about that...Anyways, I'm **Matsuda Minori** , the **Ultimate Informant**. We might have this conversation a couple of more times - I'm an amnesiac, you see..." Matsuda revealed.

* * *

 _Matsuda Minori - Ultimate Informant_

* * *

Matsuda has blue hair that spikes messily downward. His eyes are a light blue. The poor boy looked a little underweight (maybe he forgets to eat?). Matsuda wears a red t-shirt with some dark stripes and white highlights. Drawn on the chest is a green alien head, and pink Japanese text which reads "Out of this world". He also wears white shoes with red laces. On his belt loops is a grey strap that holds his journal.

An amnesiac, huh? I kinda feel a little nervous, I've never met one before! I remember the day of Matsuda's incident (I can't recall exactly what happened): everyone was freaking out, Matsuda Minori, one of the most intelligent people the Future Foundation saved, who even worked with them, developed a type of amnesia that prevents his brain from making new memories. Apparently, he carries his journal around to help him with his disability.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can overcome this!" I exclaimed, trying to lift his spirits.

"It's not really something you can overcome." He said, writing something in his notebook.

"Oh..." I slowly nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." Matsuda claimed, finally putting his notebook down. I saw frustration and sadness in his eyes. It must be tough not being able to remember things.

"Anyways, I should introduce myself to the others." He sighed, pulling out his notebook once more. He walked away.

I was left alone, watching the two doors that hadn't been opened yet. I was getting a little worried. There were only four people who I haven't met yet, and we all know what happens after all of the students meet each other. I shudder just thinking about potentially meeting... **him**.

Thankfully, my thoughts were quickly pushed to the back of my mind as another door opened. However, only one girl stepped out. I was a little confused, but then I heard something rolling on the ground, and a girl in a wheelchair came out as well.

The girl in the wheelchair was probably the most put-together person I've seen thus far. Her heart-shaped face is framed by wavy, ebony hair, with bangs swept to the left side of her face. She is a slim girl with light skin, and an above average bust (no, I'm not jealous..). Her eyes are black, and full of mystery. She wears what looks to be a typical school uniform; dress shirt, black skirt, knee socks, a grey cardigan, and black penny loafers.

The other girl is probably the shortest person here, and I haven't even met the last two people, standing at about 4'. She has chestnut hair flowing down to her waist, and matching colored eyes. She wears an orange jacket over a red shirt, blue jeans, with charred spots along the lower leg, and industrial boots with burn spots.

Me being the closest one to their door, they approached me first.

"Hiii!" The girl with red hair skipped towards me. "Uh, do you know where we are? Cause I sure don't!"

"No, sorry." I shook my head. "But the signs so far point to this being a killing game..."

"I see..." The ebony-haired girl slowly nodded. "This is unfortunate..."

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here." I smiled.

"Hopefully! Anyways, I'm **Hiru Hikage** , the **Ultimate**... **Arshinist**? Not really sure how to say it, but whatever!"

* * *

 _Hiru Hikage - Ultimate Arsonist_

* * *

Arshinist? Does she mean **arsonist**?! Um, I don't really know how that's a talent, but OK...If I remember correctly, the Future Foundation had put out an APB for someone named Hiru, for some reason. She can't be a Remnant of Despair since the Future Foundation doesn't put out APBs for them, so she must've just been making trouble. Probably with fire.

"That's...interesting..." I akwardly smiled, not exactly sure how to introduce myself to an arsonist.

"Yeah, it's really fun!" Hiru beamed, seemingly oblivious to how bad arson is. "But Magane doesn't really think so..."

"I already explained to you how wrong being an arsonist is, Hiru." The ebony-haired girl, presumably Magane, sighed.

"Hey, come on, ' _lighten_ ' up!" Hiru giggled, then cringed. "Ew, forget I said that!" And with that, she quickly walked away.

"She is certainly something..." I commented, watching her bother Hikari and Shinya, who both stood away from the group.

Magane nodded. "Hello. I am **Magane Kiryuu** , the **Ultimate Music Th** **anatologist**. And yes, you may recognize my name from somewhere else, but please forget about that; it doesn't matter now."

* * *

 _Magane Kiryuu - Ultimate Music Thanatologist_

* * *

Don't ask me how, but I actually know a little about Magane's talent. Basically, when a patient in a hospital is dying, she will play music for them, to soothe them and their loved ones. I've heard through the grape vine that her specialty is the harp, and hearing her play is like hearing the soundtrack to Heaven. And yes, I do recognize her name from somewhere other than Music Thanatology, but I can't remember from where...

"Um, not to be invasive, but can I ask what happened to your leg?" I asked. "Something during the Tragedy?"

Magane averted her eyes. "No, before."

"Oh..." I slowly nodded, sensing that I should shut up.

And once again, a door opening saved me from this conversation. I realized that this is the last door left, which left a sick feeling in my stomach.

But, all discomfort and worry was wiped away when a **familiar face** walked out of the door, with an **unfortunately familiar boy** behind her.

"Setsuna!" My friend smiled, jogging over to me.

"Setsuna." My arch-nemesis smirked, walking over to me.

I ignored him. Greeting my friend was more important than arguing with my enemy.

" **Michie**!" I quickly embraced her once she drew near.

Michie is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, inside and out. She has long, slightly curled jet black hair and wide sky-blue eyes. Her tan face is sparsely dotted with freckles on her nose and cheeks. She wears a white, V-neck dress with a blue rose pattern on it, grey ballet flats, and a white daisy choker.

"I didn't know you enrolled in Hope's Peak!" I playfully punched her in the shoulder. "I thought when you left, they transferred you to somewhere else."

"No, no, I mailed the application and then got the acceptance letter almost right away! Because of my 'status', Hope's Peak insisted on me staying at the campus. Apparently, it was safer. Anyways, I'm so sorry, it all happened so fast!" Michie explained, putting on a fake sad frown.

"It's OK," I giggled. "And lemme guess, you're the **Ultimate Psychologist**?"

* * *

 _Michie Anno - Ultimate Psychologist_

* * *

Michie nodded. "Yup!"

I should probably explain, right? Basically, Michie is someone I met during my time at the shelter. She works with the Future Foundation, helping survivors that the FF saved, who went through traumatizing times. In fact, despite her young age, she even got to study under **Miaya Gekkogahara** , the Ultimate Therapist herself. We became super close during the Tradegy, and I'm a little relieved I know someone here. But it's also a little distressing, seeing as she's with _ **him**_...

"Setsuna, how could you forget about me?" Speaking of the devil, he quickly inched his way toward me.

I sighed. "...Hello, **Puck**..."

"Hehehe, hi Setsuna!" Puck grinned. "Long time no see, huh?"

I glared at him. "Don't even think about talking about...that."

"Talking about what?" Michie frowned. "Do you two know each other."

"Um, nothing!" I quickly replied. "And unfortunately, yes..."

"So this means we're classmates right?" Puck giggled. "But what the heck are you talented at? I'm the **Ultimate Jester** , so I'm expecting a lot from you, since you're soooo perfect.."

* * *

 _Nicholas "Puck" Falstaff - Ultimate Jester_

* * *

Puck, befitting of his talent, is donned in a purple and black jester outfit, sans the hat and shoes. He is a short boy, standing at only 5'4", and is also pretty skinny, with a little bit of muscle on him. He has tan skin and dark green hair and eyes, the former being short and curly and the latter having a playful, mischevious glint in them. He wears black dress shoes, a checkerboard bow tie, and a black mask that covers everything below his eyes.

Nicholas "Puck" Falstaff, the worst person I've ever met. I had the displeasure of living with him at a shelter, and lemme tell you; he's rude, lazy, sarcastic, and annoying. Him? A student of Hope's Peak Junior High? What a joke! Even his talent is a joke! Argh! His existence just makes me so mad! And I'll never forgive him for **what he did**...

"If you're really that interested, I'm the Ultimate Test Subject." I answered.

Puck pretended like he was spitting out a drink. "Test Subject?! Hahaha, what the hell is that? Do you have some super powers or something?"

Michie shook her head at Puck's words and sighed.

"I'm not going to bother explaining things to you, and don't judge my talent before you've seen me in action." I glared. "I may not have gotten to show you my talent in the shelter, but you'll surely see it demonstrated here."

"We'll see, Sunset!" Puck smirked.

I frowned as he said his 'nickname' for me, but then quickly smiled. "Definitely, Nicholas."

The mention of his real name made his smile drop, and he stormed away.

"He's...unpleasant." Michie said after he was gone.

"Yeah, definitely." I sighed.

"Hey, that makes 23, right?" Jao realized. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him.

"Wow, that's, uh, a lot of people..." Matthew nervously looked around.

"Yay, more friends!" Zato cheered.

"I don't think friends is an accurate word to use for us..." Aya frowned. "After all, if this is a killing game, **enemies** would be more befitting."

"Hey, maybe this is a killing game, maybe it isn't; whatever the case may be, we should try to be positive." Matsuda urged.

"Yes, if we just start trusting each other now, nothing bad will happened." Kinuya nodded.

"Trust?" Noriko frowned. "In a situation like this?"

"Why not?" Izumi asked. "Believing in each other would be the best course of action, no?"

"Speak for yourself," Haru huffed. "One of us is probably planning to kill someone right now."

"Don't say that!" Chiharu yelled, pulling his hair in frustration. "They'll probably come after me!"

"Hopefully." Puck chuckled.

"Ugh, isn't that bear supposed to show about soon?" Tomoe scratched her head.

"...Yes, Monokuma usually appears shortly after the introductions." Kazuko nodded, clenching her fist. "And when he does..."

"Hey, guys, can we just promise not to kill each other right now?" Hiru asked.

"Yeah, I doubt that'd work." Shion sighed.

"Oh, Inari, please save us from this killing game..." Tomo prayed.

"The Future Foundation is probably looking for us by now..." Magane said.

"But can they really save us?" Hikari countered.

It was a question we all knew the answer to...As much as we wanted to be saved from this, we all know what happened the **first two times**. The FF tried everything in their power to save them, but it ultimately failed in the end.

Silence followed Hikari's ominous words, until **he** of all people broke it.

"The door." Shinya said.

"W-what?" I asked, turning to him.

"...Look at the door at the end of the hallway." Shinya clarified.

I did so and almost gasped. The door was open now.

"W-when did that happen?" Toshi gulped.

"I don't think that matters right now." Michie admitted. "We should go."

Everyone silently agreed, and we started to file out of the hallway. Then, I felt an arm hold me back.

Turning around, I was met with familiar neon green eyes.

"Yoshiharu? Is something wrong?" I questioned.

"Naw, just wanted to check up on my homie." Yoshi smiled.

"Oh, well, I'm doing OK, considering." I laughed humourlessly.

"Don't worry, dawg, we'll get through this." Yoshi claimed. "And don't worry, I got your back."

"Thanks." I smiled. "I got yours too." I couldn't explain it, but I felt some sort of connection to Yoshiharu. Maybe because we woke up together?

"Alright, well, if you're chill, I'm chill." He nodded. "Let's go."

And with that, we left the hallway.

* * *

We left the hallway only to end up in another, that only traveled in one direction. It looked very similar, except this time there were no windows. Also, there weren't any doors and the hallway was much more narrow.

Everyone was silent, probably all nervous. Or maybe that was just me...

We walked for what seemed like forever, until we hit a dead end, with nothing but a weird, metal door. Shinya, who was at the front of the group, wasted no time in turning the knob and opening it.

We slowly walked in.

* * *

Walking into the room was like walking into a different world. For one, unlike the hallway we were in before, this room was expensive looking and a little futuristic.

But before I could take it all in, a very, familiar, malevolent voice spoke.

"Upupupu...greetings, **children of the future**!"

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the late update; finals are consuming my life right now. Anyways, this is the last of the introductions! Hopefully, you guys can remember everyone, haha. As always, please let me know if I can potray your character better. Also, before anyone says anything, please know that your character might not get as much screen time as another sometimes. Keep in mind that there are 22 OCs to write for, so it's very difficult to give everyone the same amount of dialogue as everyone else. Thank you guys for reading, and please make sure to give your thoughts on this chapter! :)_


	5. Prologue (5) (Final)

"Upupupu...greetings, children of the future!" The infamous, even more frightening in person, Monokuma stood on a glossy, levitating platform with a sleek-looking microphone, resembling a stage. Seeing him in real life instead of on the TV screen is a completely different experience. He looks so much smaller and robotic. But knowing what he's capable of doesn't make him any less terrifying...

The room we were in was entirely white, from the floors to the walls to the ceiling. Nothing besides the stage and a futuristic door behind Monokuma was in the room.

"You..." Kazuko looked ready to pounce on the monochrome bear, but thankfully held herself back.

"Yes, me!" Monokuma cackled. "The one and only...Monokuma!"

"We know who you are..." Noriko glared.

"And we know why we're here," Jao frowned. "And your plan won't work! We won't kill each other!"

"Y-Yeah!" I nodded, shaking off my nerves. "There's nothing you can do to make us **kill each other**." At least I hope so...The motives presented to the students in the first and second killing games were enough to set them over the edge, after all...

" **Kill each other**?" Monokuma cocked his head to the side. "Who said anything about killing each other?"

"Uh, y-you, literally **three** times already..." Mac pointed out, scratching his head. He was right. The past three times Monokuma has gathered a group of people like this, a killing game was sure to follow.

"Upupupupu!" Monokuma continued to obnoxiously laugh, filling the otherwise quiet room. His laugh filled me with a sense of dread, like maybe we wouldn't get out of this alive. Maybe someone had it in them to kill in order to escape. Maybe _I_ had it in me to kill to escape...

"Monokuma, what is it?" Izumi asked, her tone quiet but sharp. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Me? Hiding something?" Monokuma repeated, feigning ignorance. "Upupupu, of course not! You guys are exactly right! The children of the future, the most inspiring kids in the world, will all participate in the **Killing School Experiment**!"

" _ **Killing School Experiment**_?" Puck frowned. "A-ha! Everyone! I know who the **mastermind** is!"

"How could you have possibly been able to find out who the mastermind is based on "Killing School Experiment?" Noriko crossed her arms.

"Isn't it obvious?" Puck chuckled. "Experiment? Who participates in experiments?"

"Uh, lots of things actually. Plants, animals, humans, even aliens," Zato said. "Probably."

"Ugh, the specific name for a human who participates in an experiment!" Puck revised, growing impatient.

"A **test subject**?" Shion offered. "...Right?" Wait a second...

"Exactly." Puck grinned. "And who here is the **Ultimate Test Subject**?"

"...That'd be **Setsuna**." Matsuda answered. "It says here in my notebook..."

"Setsuna, you're the one who put us here?!" Haru yelled in anger. "Why you-I'll wring your neck!"

"You think I'm the mastermind just based on my talent?!" I glared at Puck, my blood boiling. It was just like him to do something like this.

"C'mon Setsuna, you can't be mad at _moi_ for suspecting you!" Puck gave me a fake sad look.

"You're not suspecting me, you're downright accusing me in front of everyone!" I yelled.

"ENOUGH!" Monokuma bellowed, in a voice that I've never heard him talk in. The volume of his voice was enough to stop the commotion and other than the echo of Monokuma's scream vibrating the walls, it was dead silent.

"Ahem." Monokuma 'cleared his throat'. "Setsuna Arai? The mastermind?! BAHAHAHAHA!"

"What's so funny?" Tomoe frowned. "No, seriously, what's the joke?"

"Yeah, Setsuna can be anything she wants to be!" Tomomi huffed. I'm not sure I'd take that as a compliment seeing as I'm being accused of being the mastermind...

"Not the mastermind!" Monokuma said. "Her? The freak who's paler than an egg and looks like a tryhard?"

"Hey!" I gasped.

"No, no, no, I can assure you Setsuna Arai is not the mastermind!" Monokuma said, still chuckling a bit. "In fact, are you even sure that _there is_ a mastermind?"

"H-huh?" Hiru gulped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, there has to be a mastermind..." Chiharu nodded. "That's how every installment of these killing games end...with betrayal."

"Stop trying to fucking confuse us!" Shion yelled.

"Oooookie-dokie, if you say so!" Monokuma shrugged. "Anyways, allow me to explain the rules of the Killing School Experiment."

"Well that was a quick change of subject..." I heard Puck mutter. I rolled my eyes.

"During the duration of the **Killing School Experiment** , you students will reside in the **Hope's Peak Practice Building** , just beyond this door. You will live here in harmony, where, when I feel like it, **you'll do**... **eh, I'll explain later**."

"Hey, you can't just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!" Zato sighed loudly.

"Anyways, you all know the drill, if you're really that desperate to leave this paradise, you can always resort to murder," Monokuma stated, as if it were nothing.

"We've already told you that will not be happening." Michie frowned.

"You say that now, but I bet you'll be the first one to snap!" Monokuma sneered. Michie narrowed her eyes.

"I'll be on my way now!" Monokuma announced. "See you bastards later!"

And with that, in a blink of an eye, Monokuma was gone.

"That felt...anticlimatic," Mac admitted.

"Well, we already knew he was going to make us participate in a killing game, so it didn't shock us that much." I explained.

"S-still, w-what if someone actually k-kills?" Toshi gulped, visibly shaken.

"I won't let that happen." Tomoe reassures. "I'll protect you all with my life!"

"Oh Inari, please don't say that," Tomomi shivered. "Talk about a death flag..."

"You're a fool if you think no deaths will occur." Aya said. "You should all prepare for the worst, as I have."

"No need to be so negative, dude." Yoshiharu frowned.

"But she's right, isn't she?" Hikari asked, with those blank, dead, eyes of hers. "If you don't prepare for something bad happening, when it does, you'll break." I have a feeling she might be talking from personal experience.

I can only imagine how many thoughts Hikari has running through her head right now. Being a tactician, she must be coming up with all sorts of things. It's unfortunate that her slightly antagonistic personality is getting in the way of her speaking up. If she used her talent to its full ability, I'm sure she'd make a great leader.

"Hey, what was that about Monokuma making us do something when we're in the Hope's Peak Practice Building?" Kinuya asked. "I hate to be a worry wart, but it doesn't sound so good."

"It's nothing, dude, just him trying to scare us." Yoshiharu claimed. I wasn't so sure of that.

"Regardless, we should make our way to the Hope's Peak Practice Building, yes?" Magane spoke up, after being somewhat quiet since our introduction.

"Yes. After all, we might be able to find a way out." Michie suggested. Sorry, Michie, but I, unfortunately, don't think it'll be that easy...

We all wordlessly approached the door, wondering the same thing. Was there a mastermind? If so, who? And what exactly is the Killing School Experiment? What is Monokuma hiding? We've all been trapped in this place simply for wanting a better future. What did we do to deserve this?! We're just kids for fuck's sake...

When we got close enough to the door, it opened with a swoosh sound, like a sliding door at a clothing store. I lagged behind the rest of the group, absorbed in my own thoughts. I heard a sound like a door closing, but it wasn't the door to the Hope's Peaks Practice Building. Turning around, I saw Shinya near the worn down looking door at the other side of the room.

"Shinya? Did you go back to the hallway?" I asked.

He replied with a simple nod.

"Why?" I pressed further.

Shinya sighed, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a balled up piece of paper. He unrolled it, and I realized it was the list of the students. "I thought it might be useful later on."

I stared at the smudge in-between mine and Yoshiharu's name. "Do...do you think I have something to do with us being here, too?"

Shinya stayed silent for a bit before shaking his head. "No. Like I said before, I think someone is going out of their way to make you look suspicious."

"Thanks." I smiled. Ugh, Puck is such a dick, going out of his way to accuse me in front of everyone. Maybe _he's_ the mastermind...Ugh, unfortunately, it's probably not that easy...

Shinya nodded, and brushed past me as he went through the door to the Practice Building. I looked around the room once more, sighing as I saw the stage Monokuma was on.

I still don't understand why we're still here. Surely people must be looking for us by now...

Shaking off my possibly unrealistic hope, I walked through the door, entering a world of blackmail, lies, and betrayal.

* * *

 _ **A/N** : Yeah, definitely got a case of writer's block during the holidays. That, and the fact that it was the holidays is the reason this chapter is long overdue, so sorry about that! I'm thinking of uploading another chapter today or tomorrow, but I still have to edit, so I'm not so sure. Also, sorry this chapter is on the shorter side. In every SYOC the chapter where Monokuma first appears is usually the shortest, though, so hopefully, you can understand._

 _Also, I don't know if I should be announcing this, but I have started to come up with the cases, including killers and victims! Boy, it is hard to decide who lives and dies...But I promise, to those whose characters die, you definitely don't want to stop reading, there will be plenty of chances for your characters to still play a part in COTF!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone, have a great day/night! :)_


	6. Me and You, Surviving Everlasting (1)

**Chapter 1** : **Me and You, Surviving** **Everlasting** (Daily Life)

Walking into the next room was nothing special. This new room was just as white and plain, maybe even plainer. This time, nothing but an intercom on the ceiling was in the room, not even another door.

Speaking of door, the moment I walked in, the one behind us **slammed shut**!

"What the hell?!" Haru yelled, immediately rushing over to the door. He banged on it, but nothing happened.

All hell broke loose once everyone realized what was happening: we were trapped inside! The quiet and calmness of our group had completely been thrown out the window as people started to bump into each other, running their hands along the walls to look for an exit and expressing their panic.

"What the hell?!"

"Let me out of here!"

"Where's the door?!"

Everyone started banging on the walls, yelling " _Let us out_!".

I helplessly watched, feeling trapped and overwhelmed. I sank to the floor and buried my head in my knees.

"Setsuna?" I recognized Yoshiharu's voice and looked up to see him kneeling next to me. "Are you good, homes?"

"Uh, yea-" Before I could reply, a quick, loud noise sounded from the opposite end of the room. When I looked in the direction it came from, I saw Haru with his fist connected with the wall.

"Haru!" Michie ran over to his location and grabbed his hand. It was then I noticed his hand was covered in crimson red blood, and his fingers looked like they were limp.

"You broke your hand..." Magane sighed. "How careless..."

"Whatever, I don't give a damn!" Haru jerked himself away from Michie and glanced at the ground.

The spot on the wall that Haru punched was slightly dented and had a little blood on it.

A buzzing noise rang out and a generic female announcer spoke. " _ **Damaging property in the Hope's Peak Practice Building is forbidden. Please refrain from doing so again**_."

"Hey Siri, is that you?!" Zato called excitedly (or perhaps he was joking). He got no response, of course...

"So what," Shion frowned. "This is the **Hope's Peak Practice Building**?"

That is what the woman said...If she's telling the truth, the Practice Building is just this 20 x 20 foot room.

As I looked around, no one looked surprised. Everyone's faces bore dejected, defeated expressions.

Haru continued to stare at the ground, his face red with rage. Michie looked hopelessly at him and his injured hand.

"Guys..." I frowned. I too felt defeated after everything that's happened, but moping around won't do us any good.

"I know that the situation we're in is less than perfect," I admitted. "But we can't give up!"

"Give up on what?" Aya crossed her arms. "Leaving here? I think being trapped in this room seals our fate."

"Yeah and, uh, 'Fight Night' and J.A.R.V.I.S. over here aren't exactly filling me with hope right now." Puck rolled his eyes, pointing to the silent Haru and the intercom.

"That kind of negative attitude is what Monokuma wants, to start the killing game." I frowned. "We need to put our heads together instead of mindlessly banging on the walls!"

...

...

...

I nervously chuckled. "Uh, was that too harsh?"

"No, you're right Setsuna!" Tomoe smiled. "Plus, by actually using our heads, we won't get hurt!"

"U-Um, I second t-that!" Toshi quickly said, tugging at his scarf and narrowing his eyes.

"Inari would say the same, Setsuna!" Tomomi beamed.

"Uh yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Matthew nodded with a hint of a smile. "I just want out of here ASAP, to be honest with you..."

Slowly, I felt the mood in the room become brighter, as more and more people agreed to use our mind rather than body to find a way to escape. Of course, some were less vocal than others, but I could tell by their expressions that they agreed.

I nodded my head, smiling. "Alright! So-" Once again, I am interrupted by a loud sound.

It was the same buzzing sound from earlier, when the lady spoke.

" _ **The...23...participants have solved the mystery of the room with no doors. Participant...Setsuna Arai...is the winner of this challenge and will** **receive** **...an advantage in the upcoming challenge. Now opening** **floor.**_ "

Before anyone could even think anything, the floor opened up beneath us, and we plummeted into a dark void.

* * *

"Is...is everyone OK?" Everything was still dark, but we appeared to be on solid ground. I felt fine, but the silence of my fellow 'participants' scared me a little.

"Uh...what just happened?" I recognized Matthew's voice, a little shaky. I couldn't blame him, seeing at what just occurred.

Participants? The mystery of the room with no doors? Me? The 'winner of the challenge'? Also, where the hell are we?!

As if the lights read my thoughts, they turned on to reveal our gorgeous surroundings.

We were in a rather large, well-lit room, laying on top of a trampoline built into the floor. Although the room was just as white as the other rooms we've been in so far, this room had greenery everywhere. From vines on the walls to cherry blossom trees and bamboo, the room looked beautiful, even with the glossy white floor.

Best of all, the room has a door!

"Let's not get our hopes us, the door is probably locked..." Chiharu sighed.

"We wake up in here, and that's the first thing you say?" Jao chuckles. Chiharu shrugs.

"What is this place?" Puck asked. "It's hideous."

"Maybe...this is one of the rooms in the real Hope's Peak Practice Building?" Kinuya suggested.

"I believe so." Izumi nodded. "That woman referred to the room we were in previously as a 'challenge', so I don't believe that was actually the whole Practice Building."

"We won't find out by standing around," Noriko stated. "Let's go."

I observed the room more, and even though it was beautiful-nothing in here stood out as important. Noriko is right; we have to keep moving.

We all stood up from the trampoline and made our way to the door. Noriko grasped the knob, and slowly moved it. To our relief, it turned.

Noriko opened the door fully, and we ended up in a huge, foyer type room. There was a spiral staircase in the middle, leading to a supposed 2nd floor, and three wide hallways. On the walls were various contemporary paintings, adding color to the otherwise blank room. There was also glass chairs against the wall, that looked like they belonged in the waiting room of a fashion designer's office.

"Great, even more places to explore..." Kaz grumbled.

"Well, yeah. This wouldn't be a killing game without a bunch of places to get 'inspiration' from." Matsuda sighed.

"Well, we can look at it that way, or look at it as more places to find an escape." I suggested.

"Or more places to set fire to!" Hiru giggled. "I'm all fired up!"

"...Yeah, no." I said.

"Soooo, we need a plan..." Yoshiharu scratched his head in thought.

A plan...Ugh, _she_ could probably help, I guess...

" **Hikari**..." I sighed. "Do...Do you have any ideas?"

"Ideas?" Hikari repeated. "Hmm..."

"Well there are four places to explore, the three hallways and the second floor, so that means we should make four groups; three groups of 6 and one group of 5, to explore each of the places. And while I've been saying this, I've already come up with the groups:

The first group will consist of, myself, Puck, Aya, Shinya, Noriko, and Setsuna.

The second group will consist of, Yoshiharu , Kazuko , Matthew , Tomomi, and Jao.

The third group will consist of, Shion, Hiru , Tomoe, Chiharu, Izumi, and Toshi.

The fourth and final group will consist of, Michie, Zato, Haru, Kinuya, Matsuda, and Magane.

Any objections? None? Good."

Well, that was quick...I raised a brow at some of the groups. Me and Hikari and Puck in the same group? Sounds fun...

"W-wait-" Toshi tried to speak, but Hikari was in tactic mode.

"The first group will take the middle hallway, the second group will take the second floor, the third group will take the leftmost hallway and the fourth group will take the rightmost hallway. Let's go." She finished. Without saying anything else, she began to walk down the middle hallway.

"Uh, I guess that's that." Jao chuckled.

"While I don't appreciate being forced into a group, we should start moving." Kaz said.

"If we have to..." Shion grumbled, her arms crossed. "Fuck authority..." She muttered.

"I'm sure we'll find something of importance!" Kinuya smiled.

"You're getting your hopes up..." Chiharu mumbled.

"I'll do the best I can to tell you all what we find considering my situation..." Matsuda sighed, writing something in his notebook.

"I will do my best to support you all from this chair." Magane pat the arms of her wheelchair.

"Ooo, maybe we'll find something flammable!" Hiru giggled.

"You all know we're probably not going to find something, right?" Puck shook his head.

"Whatever happens, don't worry!" Tomoe beamed. "I'm here to protect you!"

"Let's find a way out of here, everyone!" I smiled.

Everyone split off into their different groups to explore their assigned areas.

* * *

I realized that not only is my group filled with two of my 'favorite' people here, the two other people in my group aren't exactly the most talkative or friendliest.

We walked in silence down the hallway, which seemed to stretch on forever. At last, we came to a dead end- a large room with two colossal doors on the far wall.

Also in the room is those same glass chairs as in the foyer type room, and a large blank TV on the left wall.

"Let's try these doors." I suggested.

"No shit, Sunset." Puck scoffed, already going for the door.

But the moment he touches it, he screams and violently shakes, quickly backing away.

"Puck?!" I rush over to him.

His expression is dazed and for once, he's quiet. "What the hell happened?"

Shinya looked at the door for a moment, before digging his hand into his pocket. He took off the piece of paper he took and ripped off a piece. Then, he threw it at the door. It burst into flames!

"He got electrocuted." Shinya deduced, stomping on the piece of paper.

Buzz. " _ **Attention. Please refrain from touching the...First...Challenge Room door before the First Challenge commences.**_ "

"Challenge room?" I frowned.

"The woman did say, earlier, something about a challenge." Noriko pointed out.

"...I think this may be related to the **extra component** of the Killing School Experiment Monokuma was talking about." Aya suggested.

Hikari looked at the door in thought. "That's why he's trying to keep it secret..."

"So what?" I scoffed. "We didn't find anything and Puck gets electrocuted?!"

"We didn't come out empty handed, Setsuna." Hikari claimed.

"Correct. Now, we know that Monokuma is planning something." Noriko added.

"Something big and probably dangerous." Aya muttered.

"But why?" I frowned. "What is the point of this?"

"That's a question we won't get the answer to for a while." Aya admits.

"...Whatever," I shake my head. "Let's just get out of here..."

I lead the confused Puck out of the Challenge Area and start to go back down the hallway.

I notice his hand looks slightly burnt, but he otherwise seems to be breathing fine. I wanted to slap myself from being concerned about someone like him...

But I couldn't help myself, it's just the type of person I am. And so, I walked, hand-in-hand, with Puck back to the foyer, hoping that Noriko, Aya, and Hikari won't mention this to anyone.

* * *

At last, we arrived at the empty foyer. Of course, we're the first group back; all we discovered was a locked door and something about a "Challenge".

We stood in silence for what seemed like forever, until it got too much for me.

Hmm...you know what? I probably could get away with seeing what one of the other groups are up to...But which one?

 _DECIDE!: During DECIDE! segments, Setsuna will have to decide what choice to make from what she is given. In reality, this is me, the all-powerful and mysterious narrator, using a special technique to randomly pick a decision for her to 'steer' her in the right direction._

 _Most of the time, these decisions will effect Setsuna's Distrust meter, which we'll get into later. That's all for now, toodles!_

 **DECIDE!**

 **-Second Group**

 **-Third Group**

 **-Fourth Group**

Hm...

...

...

...

I think I'll check up on the second group.

"Um, I'm just going to see what the other group is up to..." I discreetly said, slowly setting Puck onto a chair and walking up the stairs.

Turning around, Noriko, Aya, and Hikari didn't seem to care as they lounged in chairs, staring off into space.

* * *

What awaited me at the top of the stairs was nothing but a landing with a plain white door at the end.

I cautiously approached the door, in fear that what happened to Puck would happen to me.

...Luckily, I managed to touch and turn the doorknob without even the slightest bit of electricity being sent coursing through my body.

The room inside was way bigger than I imagined. It was a round room, one floor, with 23 doors arranged in a circular fashion. Of course, this room was just as plain and white as the others, however, there seemed to be a sign on each of the doors. Unfortunately, my vision isn't exactly the best. The only other thing in the room was, of course, the members of the group sent to investigate it.

"Homie Setsuna, what are you doing here?" Yoshiharu spotted me almost right away and approached me.

"Er, our group's investigation ended a little early." I nervously giggled. "What is this place?"

"It's a dormitory," Yoshiharu led me to one of the doors and I finally saw what was written on the sign; Matthew Portman.

Looking around, I realized that every door bore a different name. He was right, this is probably where we're supposed to stay.

"Ugh," I shivered, backing away. "I don't want to even think about spending a night in here."

Yoshiharu nodded. "Yeah, it doesn't sound very cool, huh? But, at least we know that we'll be pretty safe."

"Pretty safe?" I questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Watch this!" Yoshiharu quickly walked over to a door across the room. Catching up with him, I discovered it was his own. "Alright, try to open it."

I did as I was told, and turned the knob. But no matter how hard I wiggled, pushed, or pulled, the thing wouldn't open! "It must need a key or something!"

"No, no, no," Yoshiharu chuckled. This time, he turned the knob. And it opened!

"W-wh-what?!" My eyes widened as I watched Yoshiharu close and open the door again and again. But when I tried again, it wouldn't open.

"Pretty rad, right?" He smirked. "We tested it on all the doors. The door won't open if the person turning it isn't you."

"Huh, that is pretty rad." I nodded with a smile.

Yoshiharu smiled, a genuine, relaxed smile, and for the first time, I forgot about the unique situation that he, I, and everyone else are currently in. But, I kept my mouth shut and enjoyed living in the moment.

 _Yoshiharu is happy I agreed with him! +5 Trust_

 **Yoshiharu-Setsuna: 10 Trust**

 _Yoshiharu and I are now friends!_

 _Distrust/Trust: The more a character likes Setsuna, the more they 'trust' Setsuna! Characters with a high trust relationship with Setsuna will defend her in various situations, be more willing to help out, and more accepting of what Setsuna has to say!_

 _Alternatively, if a character reaches 0 trust with Setsuna , and Setsuna does things that make them dislike her even more, the Distrust meter will go into the negatives and they will then 'distrust' her, meaning they'll act hostile in class trials, are more likely to disagree with Setsuna, and will require more convincing of Setsuna's opinion than others! I'm leaving some stuff out but I'll explain later! You know you love me, XOXO._

 _Ways To Earn Trust: Spend time with characters, agree with characters, etc._

 _Ways To Earn Distrust: Disagree with characters, bad behavior, etc._

 _There are only 3 Trust opportunities per chapter, but an infinite amount of Distrust opportunities, so be wary!_

"Aw man, looks like you won't have time to check out your room." Yoshiharu pointed to Tomomi who was pointing to the door, ushering us over. "That signal means it's time to go."

"That's OK, I'm anxious to hear what the other groups have to say." I admitted. "Maybe they found something important!"

We made our way out of the dormitory and went down the stairs.

* * *

When we arrived at the end of the stairs, we were met with the faces of the other two groups.

"What took you guys so long?" Shion frowned.

"W-we just g-got here..." Toshi whispered.

"Good to see everyone made it back OK." Michie smiled. I narrowed my eyes, remembering Puck.

Who, speaking of, was currently sitting in a chair, mumbling to himself as he observed his injured hand.

"Tch, are you forgetting that my hand if fucking broken?!" Haru glared. His hand seemed to be wrapped in something white. It kind of looked like a tablecloth.

"That's your own fault." Magane harshly quipped.

"Alright, alright, let's calm down," I nervously laughed. "Let's share what we found out."

I revealed what our group had found, leaving out the details of Puck being electrocuted and me taking him back to the foyer.

"Sounds cool!" Hiru nodded enthusiastically. "A fun challenge should be just the thing to get our spirits up! Maybe it'll involve fire!"

"Cool is not the word that comes to mind considering Monokuma is the one giving us the challenge..." Kinuya awkwardly chuckled.

"Regardless, there's nothing we can do until Monokuma says something." Izumi said.

And once again, we were left with no answers to Monokuma's 'extra component of the killing game'.

The 2nd group revealed the discovery of the dormitories, which was met with relative silence. No one wanted to spend the night here.

"Well if we are going to spend the night here, we'll be ready for the morning!" Tomoe said. "The third group discovered the **dining hall**!"

"Yup!" Hiru nodded. "The dining hall may be just as plain as the rest of this place, but there's more than enough space for all of us."

"Also, the kitchen seems to be well-stocked," Izumi revealed. "We won't have to worry about starving to death."

"There's no way we're staying here long enough to even think about starving to death!" Shion argued.

"I-it's just in case..." Toshi helplessly mumbled.

"And you never know..." Chiharu sighed. "We might be spending the rest of our lives here."

"It's not about living to die here, it's about living to survive until we can escape." Kinuya calmly said. "And the fourth group found something that will certainly help our need for recreation."

"Yeah!" Zato exclaimed. "Matsuda, tell them what we found!"

"Huh?" Matsuda jumps at the mention of his name. "What we found? What did we find?"

Magane looks at Matsuda with a face of sympathy and comes to his rescue. "We found **several rooms with recreation activities**."

"A swimming pool, arcade, and a full-length track, to be exact." Michie reveals.

"Wow, just how big is that hallway?" I gasped.

" _ **You know what is is unexpectedly big**_?" A familiar voice giggled from behind.

We all know who the voice belonged to, but we still turned around in surprise, met with the sight of one Monokuma.

"Hey, kiddos!" He greeted.

"What do you want?" Kaz glared.

"Is that any way to greet your Proctor?!" Monokuma growled.

"...Proctor?" Izumi repeated.

"He's still going along with this 'challenge theme'?" Aya rolled her eyes.

"Of course!" Monokuma answered. "We paid a lot of money for the trademark!"

"What the hell do you want?!" Haru snapped.

"Fiiineee!" Monokuma crossed his arms. "I didn't know you'd all be so eager to hear about the first motive!"


End file.
